Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2014, published 104th ILC session (2015)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - Côte d'Ivoire (Ratification: 2003)

Article 1 of the Convention. National policy and application of the Convention in practice. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that child labour persists in Côte d’Ivoire. In this regard, the Committee notes that the latest statistics on child labour, contained in the household standard of living survey conducted in 2008 (ENV 2008), show that 1,570,102 children work in the agriculture sector and 517,520 children work in the service sector. The Committee also notes that, according to the report of the International Trade Union Confederation for the World Trade Organization General Council Review of the Trade Policies of Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo (Geneva, 2 and 4 July 2012), some 40 per cent of children between 5 and 14 years of age are working and nearly a quarter of all children in Côte d’Ivoire combine work and school. Children in rural areas mainly work on family farms, on plantations, in small-scale gold mines, in commerce or in domestic service.

The Committee notes the adoption of the National Plan of Action 2012–14 against the trafficking and exploitation of children and child labour (NPA). The NPA focuses on four strategic areas, namely: prevention; child protection; prosecution and punishment of offenders; and monitoring and evaluation of activities. It also notes the information sent by the Government concerning activities implemented as part of the NPA, including awareness campaigns and capacity building for all parties involved in combating child labour. However, the Committee notes with concern the large number of children who are working in Côte d’Ivoire. The Committee therefore urges the Government to intensify its efforts to improve the situation regarding child labour in the country, particularly in the agriculture sector and the informal economy. It requests the Government to provide information on the measures to be taken at the end of the scheduled implementation period for the NPA, namely after 2014. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the application of the Convention in practice, including, for example, statistical data disaggregated by sex and by age relating to the nature, scope and trends in the labour of children and young persons working below the minimum age specified by the Government at the time of ratification, and also extracts from the reports of inspection services.

Article 6. Apprenticeships. The Committee previously noted that section 23.8 of the Labour Code prohibits children from being employed in an enterprise, even as apprentices, before the age of 14 years, unless an exemption is provided for by regulations. Furthermore, it noted that, under section 3 of Decree No. 96 204 of 7 March 1996 concerning night work, children under 14 years of age engaged in an apprenticeship or in pre-vocational training may not undertake work under any circumstances during the limitation period for night work or in general during the period of 15 consecutive hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the Committee’s comments will be taken into account in the context of the reform of the Labour Code. Recalling once again that, under Article 6 of the Convention, the minimum age for admission to work in enterprises in the context of an apprenticeship programme is 14 years, the Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to harmonize the Labour Code and Decree No. 96-204 of 7 March 1996 with the Convention and to establish a minimum age of 14 years for embarking on an apprenticeship, particularly in the context of the reform of the Labour Code.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.